bio

BIOGRAPHY

1926          Born in Sydney, Australia.
1947          Graduated Bachelor of Engineering, University of Sydney.
1950-1955  Lived in London. Studied sculpture at Regent Street Polytechnic, London (1953)
1953          First exhibited sculpture ("Quartette") at the Artists from the Commonwealth exhibition, London.
1957-1970  Pioneered the field of scale model-making for architects, industrial designers and engineers. Trained and employed personnel in this field. Built models of most of Sydney’s large buildings, bridges & motorways, including a model of the Sydney CBD; Macquarie University's buildings and campus; the Sydney Opera House; and the National Library of Australia.
                 Studied Design, East Sydney Technical College.
                 Teacher, Industrial Design, Randwick Technical College.
1965-1973 Student, committeeman, organiser, tutor, for World Education Fellowship Creative Arts Summer School, Sydney.
                 Student in sculpture, jewellery-making and drawing at Workshop Arts Centre, Willoughby, NSW.
1973          Joined Ateliers Art Protis, Brno, Czechoslovakia, making Art Protis Tapestry Pictures in wool. Exhibited in galleries in Sydney, Stockholm, Manila and in various places in Czechoslovakia.
1983-1985 Foundation President, Guild of Professional Modelmakers. Made Honorary Life Member in 1989.
1986-1988 Teacher, Sculpture, Seaforth College of TAFE, NSW.
1992          Founder and Curator, Macquarie University Sculpture Park, Sydney.
1993          Sculptor-In-Residence, Macquarie University, Sydney.
1994          Attended 15th International Sculpture Conference, San Francisco.
2001          Awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Sculptors Society "in recognition of achievements in sculpture and for the invaluable service to sculptors and the community with the creation of the Macquarie University Sculpture Park."
2002          Assisted Edith Cowan University to launch its Sculpture Park, Western Australia’s first designated University Sculpture Park.
2009          Died in Sydney, Australia.

Solo Exhibitions of Art Protis Wool Pictures

1973          Sebert Gallery, Paddington, Sydney.
1974          Australian Trade Fair, Intercontinental Hotel, Manila, Philippines (February-March).
1975          Opening of Scone Civic Art Gallery, NSW.
1976          Canberra, ACT.
1976          Boggabri Annual Art Show, NSW.
1978          ANZ Bank Gallery, Sydney.
1978          Freudenstadt, Western Germany, in Town Hall.
1978          London, New South Wales House, with help from Qantas and Dep't of Trade grant.
1979          Brisbane, Wool Exhibition Centre Gallery.

Solo Exhibitions of Sculpture

1982          Sculpture Centre, Sydney, abstract sculpture.
1984          Greenhill Gallery during Adelaide Arts Festival, SA, abstract bronze sculpture.
1984          Parker's Garden Centre, Turramurra, Sydney (September), works featured in a garden setting.
1987          Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, abstract bronze sculptures.
1989          Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, stainless steel high-tech sculptures.
1990          Cooks Hill Galleries, Newcastle.
1995          Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney, bronze & stainless steel sculptures.
2002          Macquarie University, Sydney, Retrospective.

Group Exhibitions of Sculpture

1953          Artists from the Commonwealth exhibition, London.
1983          Irving Sculpture Gallery, Glebe, Sydney.
1983          Sculptors of the North Shore, Chatswood Centre Art Space, Sydney (November).
1984          Sculptors Society Exhibition, St Georges Terrace Gallery, Parramatta (March).
1984          Collage Gallery, Paddington, Sydney.
1984          Sculptors Society Exhibition, Woollahra Galleries, Sydney.
1984          Springton Gallery, South Australia.
1984          Mary Burchell Gallery, North Sydney.
1985          Gallery One, Stanmore, Sydney.
1985          Hunters Hill Art Prize Exhibition, Sydney. Highly Commended award for "Southern Cross" bronze sculpture.
1986-1987 Sculptors Society Exhibition, Holdsworth Contemporary Galleries, Woollahra, Sydney.
1989          6th Henry Moore Grand Prize International Competition, Utsukushi-ga-hara, Hakone, Japan. Ueno Royal Museum Award for 4-metre stainless steel sculpture "Kakadu Flight".
1990          Sculptors Society Exhibition, Seymour Centre, Sydney.
1992          10th Biennale Dantesca International Competition, Ravenna, Italy. Gold Medal award.
1992          Founded the Macquarie University Sculpture Park.
1993          Dante in Australia Exhibition, Ravenna, Italy.
1994          Dante in Australia Exhibition, Parliament House, Canberra.
1994          Walkom-Manning Art Prize Exhibition, Taree, NSW.
1994          11th Biennale Dantesca International Competition, Ravenna, Italy.
1995          Sculptors Society Exhibition, Beaver Galleries, Canberra.
1995          Dante in Australia Exhibition, Parliament House, Sydney, January 1995.
1995          Dante in Australia Exhibition, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, August-October 1995.
1996          Walkom-Manning Art Prize, Taree, NSW.
1998-        Sculptors Society Exhibitions, Darling Park, Sydney.
1999          Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale, Hokkaido, Japan: "Solar Net"
2000          FIDEM XXVII International Art Medal Federation Congress, Weimar, Germany:
                  Sunning in the South I and Sunning in the South II
2002          FIDEM XXVIII International Art Medal Federation Congress, Paris, France: Memorial for a Lost Pearldiver
2007          Great Synagogue Art Exhibition, Sydney.
2009          Contemporary Medallic Art from Australia Exhibition, New York, USA.

Awards

1989         Ueno Royal Museum Award, 6th Henry Moore Grand Prize Exhibition, Hakone, Japan.
1992         Gold Medal Winner, 10th Biennale Dantesca, Ravenna, Italy.
1994         Highly Commended Award, Hunters Hill Art Prize, Sydney.
1994         Second Prize, Walkom-Manning Art Prize, Taree, NSW.
1996         First Prize, Walkom-Manning Art Prize, Taree, NSW.
2002         Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to the arts, particularly through the establishment of the Sculpture Park at Macquarie University.
2004         Honorary Doctorate, Macquarie University, Sydney.

Television Appearances

1980s       "Good Morning Sydney", Channel 10
1981         "Weekend Magazine", Channel 2
1984         "Simon Townsend's Wonder World", Channel 10
1993         "Review", Channel 2 (12th July 1993)

Commissions

Art Protis Wool Tapestry, ANZ Banking Group head office, Sydney (1970s)
Art Protis Wool Tapestry, Local Government Superannuation Board boardroom, Sydney (1970s)
Art Protis Wool Tapestry, Trinity College, Melbourne (1970s)
Stainless Steel Sculpture "Kakadu Flight", Open-Air Sculpture Museum, Utsukushi-ga-hara, Japan (1989)
Stainless Steel Sculpture "Kakadu Wings", foyer, 321 Kent Street, Sydney (1990)
Hand-beaten copper installation for water feature, Big Bear Shopping Centre foyer, Neutral Bay, Sydney (c 1993)
Stainless Steel Sculpture "Season's End", Macquarie University Sculpture Park, Sydney (2005)

Collections

Macquarie University Sculpture Park, Sydney, Australia (approx. 18 works)
321 Kent Street, Sydney, Australia, "Kakadu Wings" stainless steel, 1990
Open-Air Museum, Utsukushi-ga-hara, Japan, "Kakadu Flight" stainless steel, 1989
Dante Museum, Ravenna, Italy.
Errol Davis' works, pictures and sculpture are represented in private and public collections in Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, London, the Philippines, Sweden, USA, Italy and in all Australian Capital Cities.

References

Max Germaine: Artists and Galleries of Australia and New Zealand.
Utsukushi-ga-hara Catalogue, 1989.
Artfile, 1992, pp 98-99 and 339.
Oz Arts, 1994, 11, p 111.
Dante in Australia: Australian artists interpret Dante Alighieri, curated by Eileen Slarke, 1995.
Craft-Arts, Issue 9, June/August 1987.
Craft-Arts, Issue 11, February/April 1988, p 89.
Art and Australia quarterly journal, 1998, 'Landscape and the Human Spirit' pp 505-507.
Sydney Morning Herald obituary, 2010, 'Sculptor put his Heart and Soul into Creating' by Di Yerbury.